It’s Not Just About Seaside Towns
Sometimes you stumble across a place and wonder how on Earth you’ve left it undiscovered for so long. This is especially true if the location you’re talking about isn’t that far from home. For me, this place is Covehithe beach in Suffolk. It must surely be in with a shout of offering one of the best wild stretches of coastline on the Suffolk coast and the rest of East Anglia region for that matter.
Until only a few weeks ago, I must admit that I’d never heard of Covehithe. Mention the east coast to me and I’d instantly think of the seaside towns I visited as a child like Clacton, Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth. They’re pleasant enough places and I’ve got fond memories of spending days trying to dig to the centre of the Earth on their beaches. They certainly weren’t wild though. The smell of fish and chips rather than the sea would tend to fill the nostrils while laughter and arcade machines would be as loud as the gulls or waves. I didn’t care back then, but these days I prefer something a bit more laid back and quiet.
A Discovery By Mistake
I have always loved geography and do in fact have a degree in the subject as proof. Even for a geographer though, I must say that I do have a rather unhealthy love of OS maps. I love pouring over them, especially when planning a future trip. Many might consider that slightly odd, but I couldn’t care less. Such a passion allowed me to discover a rarely visited valley in The Cambrian Mountains, which I probably wouldn’t have found if just relying on word of mouth.
With the weather warming and the days getting longer, I fancied exploring a bit more of the east coast on my next trip. it didn’t take long for the OS Map to appear and a scan along the coastline revealed a place that seemed to jump out at me.
I had actually been looking at the coast further south as this is nearer to where I live. I couldn’t see anywhere that looked as enticing as Covehithe though. A little look at some photos online just confirmed this. That was it then. On my next day off I’d head there to see if was as ideal as it looked on the map.
Learning The Hard Way
Don’t worry. I’m not about to waste your time and tell you that the beach was awful and nothing like I expected it to be. Quite the opposite in fact as you’ll learn shortly. I am referring to the plans I had to wild camp at the beach. It is safe to say it didn’t go as expected almost right from the start.
When planning to wild camp, it is normal practice to arrive late and leave early. That is exactly what I did and I was filled with the usual excitement and anticipation as I left the car behind at just gone nine O clock. I had eaten before leaving and I knew that it would only be a fifteen minute walk or so to the place I hoped to spend the night- the woodland at the northern end of the beach.
It was going to be idyllic and I pictured myself living like Robinson Crusoe for the night. Warm settled weather meant I could try out my new hammock and I had visions of sipping beer and drifting off to sleep in the trees, with the waves being my soundtrack for the evening. Bliss. Sadly it didn’t transpire that way and a sign I met before I even saw the sea brought the plans crashing down.
I ended up retreating to my car wondering how I’d failed to remember that the area was in fact mostly a nature reserve. Frustrated, I considered just forgetting about the trip and heading home. I’d driven nearly one hundred miles to visit though, so finally saw some sense and decided to return at first light. I retracted my seat and slept in my car. It wasn’t such a terrible night in the end.
The Early Alarm Is Worth It
Being mid- June, the days are almost at their longest in Britain. A check on my phone showed sunrise would be at 4.30am. I felt like Rocky Balboa in that famous early morning alarm scene, as I loaded up my bag and headed down towards the beach. The little village of Covehithe was still asleep. All I could hear were the birds starting to wake and the distant crash of the waves being carried on the breeze.
It was a rather unnerving experience seeing the road I was walking on just come to a dead end at the cliff top. Thankfully another path passed through a corn field and kept a safe distance from the drop. This was my first taste of the stretch of land that has become known as ‘ the vanishing coast’. A bit of background reading in the car the previous night had shown that this is in fact that fastest eroded piece of coastline in England. That was my first piece of evidence.
Thankfully I made it down to the beach unscathed and had to pinch myself at where I was. It was a beautiful setting and as you might expect at such a time in the morning, I had it completely to myself. Annoyingly the weather wasn’t completely playing ball. The weatherman said it would be clear and for the most part it was. An annoying bank of cloud sat out to sea though and prevented me from experiencing the sun appearing from behind the horizon. It didn’t matter too much. The day was already pleasantly warm and the first light of day still bathed everything in that glow you only experience at sunrise and sunset.
A Beach Of Many Surprises
Covehithe beach in East Anglia retreats at a rate of around five metres every year. By all standards that is quite a lot. If you work that out over a generation then it is a considerable distance indeed. This rapid rate of erosion has deposited things on the sand that you wouldn’t expect nor would you find on almost any other British beach.
It was incredible what I discovered as I wandered along the beach. Everything from trees to buildings could be found littering the beach. I got a real sense of time on the sand as I realised how quickly the sea is claiming the coast. It made me wonder what the residents of the village thought, living in such a vulnerable place. It is only a matter of time before their own homes are at risk too.
Breakfast and A Swim
By around six O clock my tummy was grumbling. Firing up the Jet Boil on the sand was a first and a very enjoyable experience. Beans, sausages and cheesy bread were washed down with a black coffee and I soon felt a lot better.
I then had a lay down and a little sleep as I’d only got around five hours of it the previous night. It was amazing how well the sound of the waves helped me drift off. Thankfully, I had applied some sun cream already so didn’t cook in the already strong sun.
I woke at just gone eight and decided that a swim was needed. The odd person could now been seen in the distance and I figured now was as good a time as any to bare my body and brace the waves of The North Sea. Dipping my toes in the surf soon revealed it was rather nippy. The shimmering sunlight on the water made it more appealing though. I didn’t faff around and instead just waded straight in and swam. After the initial shock of the cold, it was actually really refreshing and relaxing as I just floated around on my back for a while.
Swapping Stories
I tried to exit the sea like Daniel Craig did in that famous Bond scene. Sadly I have neither the physique or balance to pull that one off and instead hobbled over the shingle. I knew I should have brought my pair of aqua shoes.
As I dried off, a chap came past and struck up a conversation. His name was Mick and I was instantly jealous of him because he lived only ten minutes away from Covehithe beach in East Anglia. What a lucky man. He must have been in his sixties and he enjoyed telling me all about the beach and how it has changed over time. I was most amazed when he told me that his nan used to deliver groceries to a farm that is now three quarters of a kilometre out to sea. I did think then that it’s a shame that the North Sea is such a murky body of water. Scuba diving would otherwise be great off of this coastline. Who knows what you’d find.
Soon he was on his way up to the large lagoon that can be found at the northern end of the beach. He had told me that he loved wildlife and that there was a sheer abundance of it in that particular part. I could well believe it with its size.
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In Conclusion….
Once I had said goodbye to Mick, I collected my bits together and headed back towards the car. It was still only 9 AM but the heat was already building as were the people. Mick did tell me that this beach is often deserted. I suppose the hottest day of the year had encouraged the locals to visit the coast. There was even a man doing a spot of sea fishing.
Even with these people, the beach is so vast that there was still lots of space and you could still enjoy a slice of peace and quiet if you wanted it. I also didn’t spot a single piece of litter on my entire five hour visit. For any place in Britain I think that is very impressive indeed. It surely shows the sort of people that visit. They care very much about such a beautiful stretch of coastline. I can’t recommend you visit Covehithe beach in East Anglia enough. If you follow the motto of leaving no trace of your visit, then it will continue to bring happiness to all who visit.